Plant in full Sun to partial shade in a well-drained soil and irrigate occasionally to infrequently. Should prove hardy to around 30° F. This is an unusual Ruellia in that it is yellow flowered, and bat pollinated.

Ruellia bourgaei has a wide native range throughout many states of Mexico, including Colima, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Mexico Federal District (Mexico City), Jalisco, Hidalgo, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Pueblo, Veracruz and Zacateas where it grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome with flowers pollinated by bats. Ruellia is a genus of flowering plants commonly known as ruellias or wild petunias, though not closely related to petunias. The genus was named to honor of Jean Ruelle (1474–1537), the herbalist and physician to Francis I of France. This species was described in 1879 by the English boatanist William Botting Hemsley, author of the botanical part of Biologia-Centrali-Americana and named for the French plant collector Eugène Bourgeau, who first collected the plant 1865.

We thank Glen Williams for sharing this interesting plant with us that he got at a Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden (now California Botanic Garden) sale 2015. There is some nice information and pictures on one of Dr. Erin Manzitto-Tripp's Tripp Reports. Tripp is the Curator of Botany at the Herbarium of the University of Colorado and a specialist working on the Acanthaceae family who did postdoctoral research scientist at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden. 

The information about Ruellia bourgaei displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant.